olar Antique Tiles has a
large selection of original antique Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese,
English and Islamic tiles, that have been removed from buildings and
palaces, dating as early as the 16th century up to the early part of
the 20th century.

Solar's
stock, includes both tile murals and individual tiles, from
European as well as some Islamic countries. Tiles - or something
resembling what we know as tiles- have been used for over three
thousand years. Egyptian tiles decorated with different colored
clays were used as far back as second millennium B.C.. In the 6
century B.C. during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, the
Babylonians used glazed bricks to decorate the Gate of Ishtar ,
depicting lions, archersand mythical creatures with the body and
head of a serpent, fore-feet of a lion and hind-feet of an
eagle.

In
Persia, from the 12th to the 14th centuries (Seljuk period), the
city of Kashan, south of Teheran, became the most important
center for tile production, where, tiles in star shapes, with
gold lusters, cobalt blues, and finely drawn paintings of
animals, or warriors on horseback, as well as large rectangular
tiles with remarkable calligraphy were made. In Europe, tile
production didn't start in earnest until the latter part of the
15 century, in central Italy, greatly influenced by both eastern
(Ottomans) and western (Moors) Muslims. Quickly expanding to the
northern and western edges of Europe, particularly Holland,
Spain and Portugal.